Greek tourism hit by lost early summer

Euronews

While tourist arrivals in Greece are exceeding all expectations right now, it has come too late for the thousands of businesses that depend on holiday euros.

Instability put many travellers off in the first part of the holiday season, and that will be felt in the end of year balance sheets.

“Well the income figures are not going to be so happy because we missed the beginning of the season and then afterwards had to do some discounts in order to attract our clients,” says the president of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels George Tsakiris.

As tourism makes up such a large part of the Greek economy, the effects of this summer will be long-lasting.

“We lost April, May and June and the result was that we only worked July and August, just two months. You understand that two months are not enough to cover the other ten,” says the president of restaurant owners on the island of Kos, Petros Chatziveloudos.

Overall hotel profits are down by 10-12%, and Greeks appear to have stopped taking holidays at all, with most bookings coming from foreigners.